I enjoy the DBZ movies, but they usually all have the same flaw...they all could have used about 10 to fifteen minutes of plot development and about five more minutes of battle time. This one is no exception to the rule. Overall I enjoyed, but I thought it could use just a bit more. Here it is nice to see they take a differing approach with the evil foe as this monster is rather large and is not the usually just smaller or just bigger than Goku villain. This monster is about Godzilla size. They also introduce a new hero character as well and he is the main focus for the story part of the movie, the time before the ultimate ending battle. The plot has him and Trunks sort of becoming friends. Of course, this also has the part of the story where our plot is established and it is rather interesting, just needed a bit more to it. Then the last bit of the movie is a rather cool battle featuring many of the DBZ warriors including Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Goten and Trunks. The battle is rather nifty as the DBZ warriors get knocked around a bit by the behemoth foe. So on the whole it is a good movie just needed about 20 more minutes of play time to it.
14 Reviews
My favorite Dragonball movie
Rectangular_businessman18 April 2015
Warning: Spoilers
The Dragon Ball movies (the animated ones, not live-action garbage like Dragonball Evolution) were a great addition to the franchise, and from my point of view, some of them managed to do a better job than the series in certain aspects, telling fun and dynamic stories with cool and well made action scenes that aren't overlong like in some episodes from the TV show.
Those movies also introduce some interesting new characters, and this time isn't the exception: While the villain was a bit generic, Tapion (A new ally who also plays the role of an older brother figure for Trunks) manages to add a certain degree of melancholy to the plot in a way not usually seen in Dragon Ball, making the plot to feel a bit closer to more serious anime shows, like "Saint Seiya", despite of the obvious differences between both series.
Even when the plot resolution is a total Deus ex machina that comes out of nowhere without any single hint of foreshadowing, I still consider this movie to be a more than enjoyable ride from beginning to end. Definitely a must-see for every Dragon Ball fan.
Such a shame Tapion never appeared again in any other movie or special, but considering the quality of Dragon Ball Super, maybe it's for the best.
8/10.
Those movies also introduce some interesting new characters, and this time isn't the exception: While the villain was a bit generic, Tapion (A new ally who also plays the role of an older brother figure for Trunks) manages to add a certain degree of melancholy to the plot in a way not usually seen in Dragon Ball, making the plot to feel a bit closer to more serious anime shows, like "Saint Seiya", despite of the obvious differences between both series.
Even when the plot resolution is a total Deus ex machina that comes out of nowhere without any single hint of foreshadowing, I still consider this movie to be a more than enjoyable ride from beginning to end. Definitely a must-see for every Dragon Ball fan.
Such a shame Tapion never appeared again in any other movie or special, but considering the quality of Dragon Ball Super, maybe it's for the best.
8/10.
Summary (ok a long summary)
Angelman100005 June 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Well lets start with the basics. The real title of this movie is "The Explosive Dragon Fist". It's about Hildegarn, who by the way isn't a dragon...(I'm getting all this info from the Japanese movie with English subtitles) Anyway the move gives no real hints as to its chronology within the dragon ball z story line other than the fact that Gohan is already doing the whole Great Saiyaman thing so its probably after movie 12. (duh) I'm too lazy to explain the entire story from beginning to end but heres the readers digest version: On a far away planet called Konats in a far away galaxy thats really far away, some idiots practicing black magic wished for their big ugly evil idol to be brought to life (aka a mix between Pinocchio and Godzilla). Anyway the beast they brought to life was called Hildegarn. Hes unstoppable about a day, when two kids use their magic flutes to weaken him (wow they pick up weaknesses fast on that planet). Then they use magic swords to cut him in half (wow some fast blacksmiths on this planet too). Somehow the flutes trap the two halves (head to waist/waist down) inside their bodies. Then finally the enders get involved and decide that the two brothers who saved the planet should be locked in music boxes and sent to the two ends of the universe. (gee interesting way of showing gratitude). Moving on, the two brothers (Tapion and Minoshiyal) are sent to the far ends of the galaxy. About 1,000 years later, one of the dudes that brought the beast to life, who had been traveling from planet to planet looking for the brothers, found the younger brother and killed him. (minoshiyal, cuz who wants to base a story around a person with a name that hard to pronounce) Thus the lower half of Hildegarn was released. (legs and tail) Later the evil guy finds Tapions music box and goes to earth, where he tricks Gohan into using the dragon balls to free Tapion, who has a hard time keeping the upper half under control. (If he falls asleep, it escapes and tries to kill him) But freeing Tapion meant the super special music box which kept Tapion locked away was destroyed. So to help him, Bulma tries to construct a new one but it doesn't work. Tapion, thinking it's OK to sleep, falls asleep and the upper half of Hildegard unites with the lower half and the full Hildegard wreaks havoc on the town. The Z-squad tried and fails to beat it, then Goten and Trunks fuse and goof around, then after being yelled at by Picollo, they attack Hildegarn and it seems like they've won. But (dun dun dun) Hildegard sheds his ugly skin like a beetle and becomes even uglier than before (if thats possible). The only difference is that now, he has wings. Yay. So anyway he kills more stuff and at the last minute when all hope seems lost Goku goes Super Saiyan 3 and says some cheesy line before doing this awesome punch (evidently a dragon fist) where he flies up in the air and the dragon that comes out when someone summons the uses the dragon balls (the ones on earth) appears in gleaming gold like Goku's hair, and flies right through Hildegarn's torso, leaving a giant hole the size of the Roman Colosseum, which obviously kills him. So yea, yay, Goku won as if you had any doubts. I know it was a bit long but it's a complicated story. There are a lot of other details i left out so you wouldn't be reading an article the size of a harry potter book, but when the movie comes out, it'll just be more interested to watch.
THE BEST DBZ MOVIE!!!!
SSJAniFan27 July 2003
You know about that saying "save the best for last?" It's in the case here. There have been good ones(12 and 6) and bad ones(11 and 7). But they're all nothing compared to this one. It has Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Trunks, Goten, Videl, Bulma, Master Roshi/Kame Sen'nin, and Kuririn of the DBZ cast. It introduces Taipon, and the plot focuses on Trunks quite a bit. I can't say any more without spoiling anything, but it does have some good character development in some of the characters. Of course, the title is Dragonball Z, so of course you're going to see a huge, destructive battle during the second half of the movie, but I'm not spoiling anything! It's too good to reveal any important plot points!
BOTTOM LINE: This one's awesome!
BOTTOM LINE: This one's awesome!
If you watch any DBZ movie, let it be this one!!!
MFDowling12 December 2004
Warning: Spoilers
In a nutshell, it is the best of the best. The story is to me, the best. The musical score is fantastic. And the fight scenes, I would want to just rewind everyone of those to watch the glory of fighting. My favorite part of the movie is the connection between Trunks and Tapion, they act like they are brothers. My favorite fight scene in the movie is when Gohan fights the "half monster" (I say "half" because Gohan only fights it's legs, strange, I know). It most likely won't be out in English until about mid-late 2005, but at being one of the longest of them and possibly the best of them, it is absolutely worth the wait. For an anime or action movie, its great. For a DBZ movie, it is perfect.
Brilliant story with beautiful animation, Awesome Dbz movie
Deftone31522 October 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Beware of Spoilers!
This is a review for the recently released Funimation version. Although the Japanese version is very good. I had to say "wow" when I finished watching it. It has such a great story, and is much more deep than the other movie stories. I was amazed that it was packed into 55 minutes. There are so many great qualities about this final Dbz movie. Great story, Great animation, some character development. The story is thus, Two warriors, Tapion and his young brother, Minosha, destroyed a beast named Hildegarn(Hirudegarn in English version)1000 years ago with magic whistles and contained the whistles along with their bodies inside Music boxes so he could never be released again, and freed their planet from destruction. Hoy, the strange alien who used his powers to bring Hirudegarn to life comes to earth to find a warrior who can open his music box(which contains Tapion) so he can release Hirudegarn again to do his bidding. He acts as if he is innocent, and the z-warriors use the dragonballs to open the box. Later on, Hoy finally manages to release Hirudegarn(I won't tell how) and the Z-warriors come to the scene. Also, the movie tells the story of how Trunk's got his sword, which I think is very cool. Overall, the story is very complex, I had to watch it twice to fully understand it. The final battle sequence is fast, thrilling, and action packed and very satisfying. We get to see most of the Z-warriors fight but Piccolo does not return for this final Dbz film, which sucks. We get to see some Fusion, and SS3. One thing that sucks is Funimation changed some major names like "Dragon Fist" which is changed to "Dragon Fire" which is stupid and pointless. Also there is crappy Gt music in it which does not make it anymore exiting in the battle sequences. Funimation doesn't use bands for the music anymore but they could have used the music similar to what they used in Fusion Reborn. Which was fast paced metal which was pretty awesome. I wouldn't say this is the best Dbz movie though, which a lot of people say, I think The History of Trunks is the best Dbz movie. To conclude, This Dbz film is great in Dub and Japanese and is a great conclusion to the Dbz movies.
This is a review for the recently released Funimation version. Although the Japanese version is very good. I had to say "wow" when I finished watching it. It has such a great story, and is much more deep than the other movie stories. I was amazed that it was packed into 55 minutes. There are so many great qualities about this final Dbz movie. Great story, Great animation, some character development. The story is thus, Two warriors, Tapion and his young brother, Minosha, destroyed a beast named Hildegarn(Hirudegarn in English version)1000 years ago with magic whistles and contained the whistles along with their bodies inside Music boxes so he could never be released again, and freed their planet from destruction. Hoy, the strange alien who used his powers to bring Hirudegarn to life comes to earth to find a warrior who can open his music box(which contains Tapion) so he can release Hirudegarn again to do his bidding. He acts as if he is innocent, and the z-warriors use the dragonballs to open the box. Later on, Hoy finally manages to release Hirudegarn(I won't tell how) and the Z-warriors come to the scene. Also, the movie tells the story of how Trunk's got his sword, which I think is very cool. Overall, the story is very complex, I had to watch it twice to fully understand it. The final battle sequence is fast, thrilling, and action packed and very satisfying. We get to see most of the Z-warriors fight but Piccolo does not return for this final Dbz film, which sucks. We get to see some Fusion, and SS3. One thing that sucks is Funimation changed some major names like "Dragon Fist" which is changed to "Dragon Fire" which is stupid and pointless. Also there is crappy Gt music in it which does not make it anymore exiting in the battle sequences. Funimation doesn't use bands for the music anymore but they could have used the music similar to what they used in Fusion Reborn. Which was fast paced metal which was pretty awesome. I wouldn't say this is the best Dbz movie though, which a lot of people say, I think The History of Trunks is the best Dbz movie. To conclude, This Dbz film is great in Dub and Japanese and is a great conclusion to the Dbz movies.
Great movir
zioncruz6 September 2021
Good Homage to the King
godzillaboy_arianarichardsfan839 September 2002
This is not the best DBZ movie but by no means the worst. There is plenty of violence and no curse word is spared. The Godzilla-esque monster Hildegarn is quite awesome espcially his teleportation technique. Goku's Dragon Fist is quite an attack. Goten and Trunks have plenty to do and are the main source of the comic relief. As a DBZ movie I'd give it a seven-out-of-ten.
Outstanding DBZ movie...Underwhelming Ending
JayWolfgramm22 March 2023
"Wrath of the Dragon" is one the best DBZ movies. It is nice when the conflict of the movie is a bit more than simply punch the bad guy. With the conflict of Tapion and Hoi, it adds a layer of mystery to the usual Dragon Ball story. Yes, it is obvious who the bad guy will be, but it is nice to have some mysterious elements.
The story this time around gives other characters, particularly Trunks, some well-deserved time to shine. Tapion is a fun new character, kind of looks like a combo of "Ocarina of Time" and "Chrono Trigger". The relationship between Trunks and Tapion is believable and endearing.
Hildegarn is an interesting villain. He doesn't have much of a personality, but he has a cool design. With him being a kaiju, it leads to some unique fight sequences between him and the heroes.
My main problem with the film involves its ending. I won't go into spoilers here. Suffice it to say that it felt like they back tracked on all they built up. The ending feels rushed an undeserved. It is all very well animated, but the ending lacks a certain...punch. I'm sure saying that will unleash the wrath of the Dragon Ball fans.
The story this time around gives other characters, particularly Trunks, some well-deserved time to shine. Tapion is a fun new character, kind of looks like a combo of "Ocarina of Time" and "Chrono Trigger". The relationship between Trunks and Tapion is believable and endearing.
Hildegarn is an interesting villain. He doesn't have much of a personality, but he has a cool design. With him being a kaiju, it leads to some unique fight sequences between him and the heroes.
My main problem with the film involves its ending. I won't go into spoilers here. Suffice it to say that it felt like they back tracked on all they built up. The ending feels rushed an undeserved. It is all very well animated, but the ending lacks a certain...punch. I'm sure saying that will unleash the wrath of the Dragon Ball fans.
The Final Installment!!
gigan-9219 April 2010
Warning: Spoilers
The last of the Dragon ball Z films sadly, but at least they went out with a bang!! I got this film, along with "Fusion: Reborn", in the latest Funimation convient double feature set at a not too high price. Between the two this is my favorite, primarily for its emotional side with Trunks and the new character, Tapion. I also loved its somewhat spooky tone, which was greatly enhanced by the final Z villain, Hirduegarn. Let me just say I love the monster in both forms and the final all-out epic battle is one to remember!! Vegeta of course makes his usual sudden appearance, accompanied with my favorite line in the flick: "I was enjoying my first day off in over a month until some flat-footed, mutated bemmoth stepped on my house! You're going to regret this you freak!" Classic Vegeta, once again as a super saiyan two. Of course, plenty of other characters get their turn against Hirduegarn, including Ultimate Gohan, Goten, Trunks, and even super saiyan three Gotenks!! Sick!! The only one who doesn't appear what so ever is Piccolo, in which I'm rather disappointed (the only reason it isn't a ten star DBZ film). Naturally, SS3 Goku saves the day with a bad-ass new technique from which the title is named after and it's definitely not one to miss. One more thing though, is that I didn't really like the fable-style music in the English track. I personally preferred the English dialogue with 5.1 Japanese music options which is available thankfully on this double-feature. Buy it and experience two of the greatest Z films.
an ok movie
erminahotmail6 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Then this is number 13 And also the last of the classic Dragon Ball Z films So this film tells about a being from another planet named Hoy who says about a monstrous being who wants to destroy the earth herpessa dance they have to free a person of name Tapion locked inside amusic box and all the people are unable to move their loved ones, absolutely all of them. So they have to ask Shenron to exhaust the desire to free Tapion. How strange. Here there are really two very serious errors, very very much, so they are one if Gohan and not even Goku were unable to move themusic box how could the dragon come out because he himself had said that he couldn't do things that exceed his strength and these two truly subordinate his strength according to Inzago it had been modified by Dende so he could grant two more wishes let's waste wishes like thisthey cultivate unless they ask to no longer be the dirty enemy of the turtle or eliminate Bulma's dislike and aggression. Then we discover that this Tapion looks a lot like Kaioshin but cooler. But he says you made a big mistake in freeing me from Trunks, he is very fascinated bythis character who wants to be his idol So what do I think of this film or this as he said in the previous film and one of the most beautiful Dragon Ball films but for me it's not like that but that doesn't mean that I don't like it liked it because compared to other worse films This ismuch better than the others so I'm fine with the story and then this time the character of Tapion for me is one of the most beautiful interesting characters in the Dragon Ball universe but I'm sorry that this character will never be canon and I also like the bad or Hildegarn who as wellthis is one of my favorite villains but in this villain he seems to me instead to be a kaiciun or those Japanese monsters who destroy everything but there are also some problems so why trunks has to be his book it couldn't also be Goten's Well it proves as always that this goten is as times the most useless character and then the ugliest part that the character of Hoy who was really a useless character and then is killed contacts absurdity or that he is crushed by Hildegarn then the final moment a bit very forced Ponti lo Tapion says totrunks I will kill them when Hildegarn but I don't really understand but by doing so he doesn't risk instead of freeing him then you are very he kill himself because he didn't do it before and then when Goku transforms into the third level Super Saiyan he uses a dedication to kill but but then because he didn'tfirst Goku and then Tapion uses the time machine to go to his planet But since the time machine can do things like that and then Tapion gives Trunks his sword everyone will believe that this will soon be Trunks' sword of the future But not it's true because in the future he won'tit really existed it's really a big mistake this is This film is quite okay for me but with these errors it won't be one of the best to conclude with a rating of 7.
One of the Best!!
DivineAzagthoth13 June 2022
I liked this one very much, and I dare say it is the second best DBZ movie amongst the older ones, behind The History of Trunks only. There are so many good points in this movie, and I'll try to enumerate them,
First of all, Super Saiyan 3 and the epic Dragon Fist, a technique that was forgotten in the manga and anime series are seen together here in an awesome moment. Super Saiyan 3 is one of the worst transformations in the series. I mean, it has never beaten up anyone, and this movie provides this necessary moment!
The plot is very good, actually. It is a bit more deep than it is used to be in DBZ movies. Characters have a quite nice development, and the dramaticity is way more mature. The ending could be even more dramatic, only that Tapion had to step aside for incredible Goku's Dragon Fist be put into action. No complaints about that. Everyone really wanted to see Super Saiyan 3 one last time.
Tapion is cool and Hirudegarn is amazing. His evolution is very surprising and gives him an even better condition as villain. Also the humour is less present into this one, but this is no defect, by no means. As I stated before, this movie is a bit more serious.
Stunning fight scenes, many characters do show up and fight. Even Gotenks, and he just shows up very quickly, which is good, because he is very annoying. It was nice to see him, anyway. Some surprises like Vegeta saving people. Well, this is a must watch for DBZ series fans. I loved it!
First of all, Super Saiyan 3 and the epic Dragon Fist, a technique that was forgotten in the manga and anime series are seen together here in an awesome moment. Super Saiyan 3 is one of the worst transformations in the series. I mean, it has never beaten up anyone, and this movie provides this necessary moment!
The plot is very good, actually. It is a bit more deep than it is used to be in DBZ movies. Characters have a quite nice development, and the dramaticity is way more mature. The ending could be even more dramatic, only that Tapion had to step aside for incredible Goku's Dragon Fist be put into action. No complaints about that. Everyone really wanted to see Super Saiyan 3 one last time.
Tapion is cool and Hirudegarn is amazing. His evolution is very surprising and gives him an even better condition as villain. Also the humour is less present into this one, but this is no defect, by no means. As I stated before, this movie is a bit more serious.
Stunning fight scenes, many characters do show up and fight. Even Gotenks, and he just shows up very quickly, which is good, because he is very annoying. It was nice to see him, anyway. Some surprises like Vegeta saving people. Well, this is a must watch for DBZ series fans. I loved it!
The Last of the Best (At Least Until 2018 Came Along...)
Just-A-Fan-of-Buuhan20 December 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This is one of the darkest movies, if not THE darkest, in the entire Dragon Ball series, and it's not too hard to see why. Like SSJAniFan said on July 27th, 2003, there have been good movies (in my case, 5 and 8), bad movies, (in my case, 12... sadly), and those overhated ones that I think are really good in between (in my case, 11 and 9), and this one goes up in the #3 spot of my Top 3 favorite DBZ films (with Bio-Broly being #2 and Cooler's Revenge obviously taking the #1 spot).
It introduces a Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time like character (i.e. Tapion) who has an ocarina and an awesome sword, similar to the one Future Trunks has. He acts like Yoshikage Kira for the first half of the movie, wanting Goten and Trunks to leave him alone constantly as he wants to live in peace, even though the boys try to be polite. However, the two eventually bond, and Tapion even considers Trunks his brother.
Once Hirudegarn is released however, havoc ensues. There's enough explosions for a war movie, and the city is in ruins. Eventually, the surprisingly-unlikely team up of Goku and Trunks save the day, with Trunks cutting off the ginormous Majin's tail, and Goku killing the gigantic beast with a Dragon Fist, which he would later continue to use in the sadly non-canon Dragon Ball GT.
Overall, I think that this is one of the best Dragon Ball films of all time, with the final battle and Tapion and Trunks' bond being the highlights of the film. To me, it's not as good as Bio-Broly or Cooler's Revenge were, but it definitely ranks up there.
It introduces a Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time like character (i.e. Tapion) who has an ocarina and an awesome sword, similar to the one Future Trunks has. He acts like Yoshikage Kira for the first half of the movie, wanting Goten and Trunks to leave him alone constantly as he wants to live in peace, even though the boys try to be polite. However, the two eventually bond, and Tapion even considers Trunks his brother.
Once Hirudegarn is released however, havoc ensues. There's enough explosions for a war movie, and the city is in ruins. Eventually, the surprisingly-unlikely team up of Goku and Trunks save the day, with Trunks cutting off the ginormous Majin's tail, and Goku killing the gigantic beast with a Dragon Fist, which he would later continue to use in the sadly non-canon Dragon Ball GT.
Overall, I think that this is one of the best Dragon Ball films of all time, with the final battle and Tapion and Trunks' bond being the highlights of the film. To me, it's not as good as Bio-Broly or Cooler's Revenge were, but it definitely ranks up there.
Too short again!
ericstevenson13 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This will be my last "Dragonball Z" movie for awhile. I guess I shouldn't have been introduced to these films with the more recent longer ones. This one came off as kind of underwhelming, but it's certainly good! If nothing else, I liked the villain Hirudegarn. He reminds me of the Marvel Comics villain Onslaught with his skull head. I guess we deserve to have Goku and friends face off against a giant monster after all these years! Taipon looks like Chrono. Yeah, I'm pretty sure Akira Toriyama worked on the designs for that character too. I thought an ocarina was just something from Zelda.
So we have a Chrono like character and a Zelda item. Well, this must be one of the best video game movies ever made! I'm sad we didn't get to meet Taipon's brother. The plot was a little hard to follow, but it's still as good as any other DBZ movie. The best part was easily the final attack. Goku unleashes the Dragon Flash which is a move I only saw him use in some games. I admit it doesn't make much sense for him to suddenly use this massive attack to strangle a giant monster, but I really don't care. It's just cool. ***
So we have a Chrono like character and a Zelda item. Well, this must be one of the best video game movies ever made! I'm sad we didn't get to meet Taipon's brother. The plot was a little hard to follow, but it's still as good as any other DBZ movie. The best part was easily the final attack. Goku unleashes the Dragon Flash which is a move I only saw him use in some games. I admit it doesn't make much sense for him to suddenly use this massive attack to strangle a giant monster, but I really don't care. It's just cool. ***
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